The present invention relates to apparatus for testing the microprocessor-based register in electric energy meters. In particular, it relates to the testing of the registers now being used in electric energy demand meters.
Energy metering has undergone a significant change in the last several years. The mechanically complex energy/demand meter has given way to a hybrid meter consisting of an electromechanical energy measuring disk assembly combined with an electronic register which can monitor demand as well as time of use of the energy. Testing of this hybrid assembly has presented a challenge to the utility industry. The electromechanical disk assembly could be tested by measuring the energy needed for each rotation of the disk (a standard technique), but such technique is not adequate for testing the electronic register. The existing procedure involves long term operation of a complete meter assembly. Results from such tests, where the demand register is electronic, often mask register malfunction due to the inherent inaccuracy of the basic metering device on which the register is being tested.